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COL Ernest J. Sylvester
personifies the highest standard of the DUSTOFF tradition. As a 2nd
Lieutenant on his first tour in Vietnam, he was the first aviator in
that war to fly over 1000 hours in combat assault and direct combat
support missions. He earned three awards of the Distinguished Flying
Cross, 47 Air medals, the Bronze Star with Valor, Purple Heart and,
as aircraft commander, evacuated 4,190 causalities. From July thru
November 1970 while under his command, the 54th and 68th Medical
Detachments evacuated 10,163 patients. As the Battalion Operations
Officer and because of his leadership, The Legion of Merit awarded
him acknowledges that “he was asked to take command of three air
ambulance detachments in support of Operation LAM SON 719 conducted
in Laos, resulting in 2,500 evacuated
patients". His unswerving devotion to duty contributed immeasurable
to the improvement of aeromedical evacuation within Vietnam. Ernie
Sylvester lives by the motto: “When I have your wounded”. Ernie
Sylvester was inducted into the DUSTOFF Hall of Fame on 22 February
2003.
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